October 1-5, 1997
University of Southern California

A week of celebration of the music of Henryk Mikołaj Górecki, the first living classical music
composer whose music topped the Billboard charts; his Symphony No. 3 has sold over 1, 200,000
copies of recordings. The Polish composer was present to conduct the USC orchestra in the
unique performance of the Symphony.

The festival highlighted the strengths of the USC School
of Music, with its outstanding Performance, Composition, and Music History Departments, and the
Polish Music Center (at that time still known as Polish Music Reference Center).
Participants included the Provost's Distinguished Visitor, Prof.
Adrian Thomas, Chair of Music at the Cardiff University of Wales, Great Britain. Tickets were available from USC
Ticket Office (all public events: $ 5.00 and $ 2.00 for USC students).

The concerts were all sold out and the Composition Forum moved to Newman Hall (in Hancock Auditorium), because of a large number of students present.
The event attracted considerable attention to the School of Music and the Polish Music Center. There were 10 press reports about it; it was included
among "Best Bets" in the L.A. Times and later enthusiastically reviewed by Mark Swed, L.A. Times music critic,
and Alan Rich, L.A. Weekly music critic.
At the end of the year 1997 the Grecki Autumn was recognized among
the ten best events of the year by the L.A. Times (listed at first place) and L.A. Downtown News. Reports appeared, besides the papers
mentioned already also in The New York Times, Ruch Muzyczny, Nowy Dziennik, 20th-Century Music, Musicworks, Tempo, and other papers and journals.

During the festival a celebration was held to mark the endowment of the position of Stefan and Wanda Wilk Director of the Polish Music Center. Dr. Maria Anna
Harley (now Trochimczyk) served in this capacity since 1996. The announcement was made after the concert by Dean Larry Livingston, in the presence of Dr. Stefan and Wanda Wilk, USC President, Steven B. Sample,
Henryk Mikołaj Górecki, singer Andrzej Bachleda, and numerous invited guests. The reception was donated by the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland.

On December 21, 1997, The Los Angeles Times announced
that Gorecki Autumn was the event of the year in Los Angeles. Mark Swed wrote about the
performance of Gorecki's Third Symphony, conducted by the composer: "A lot of grandchildren will be hearing about this some day."
He described Gorecki the conductor as being able to "getting the student players to give
what had to be the most committed, probing, intense performance of their young lives."

A short listing of events is below - for a full listing, see the Górecki Autumn program. All photographs below that are not otherwise marked were taken by Maja Trochimczyk or James Harley and are part of the PMC Archives.

Performers included pianist Robert Thies,
and other USC students and recent graduates.

PHOTOS:

After the concert with James Harley, Robert Thies, Linda Wang, Emily Lin, and Wojciech Kocyan.

With Robert Thies, whose performances of the Piano Sonata and Intermezzo he admired greatly.

In conversation with Alice and Eleanor Schoenfeld, USC distinguished professors of violin and cello.

Thursday/October 2: LECTURE AND FILM

Public Lecture: "Introduction to the Music of Górecki" followed by the screening of
a video about the composer.

Led by Adrian Thomas, Prof. of Music, Cardiff University of Wales, Great Britain (the author of a
recent monograph on Górecki's music, published by Oxford University Press, 1996) - USC Provost's Distinguished Visitor

7: 00 p.m. Arnold Schoenberg Institute.

PHOTOS:

Górecki at the USC Faculty Club, in conversation with Jane Kedron (PIASA, New York), Andrzej Bachleda, and Maria Anna Harley.

With Jane and Henry Kedron, and Andrzej Bachleda on USC campus.

Resting by the fountain with Maria Anna Harley.

Participating in the rehearsal of the Contemporary Music Ensemble, Donald Crockett, cond.

Friday/October 3: CONCERT II:
GÓRECKI CONDUCTS GÓRECKI

Performance of H.M. Górecki's Symphony no. 3 op. 36, The Symphony of Sorrowful Songs (1976).
Announcement of the creation of the Endowed Position in Polish Music, funded by Stefan
and Wanda Wilk, the founders of the Polish Music Center.

Scholarly papers about the music of H. M. Górecki, with a closing discussion about the
phenomenon of the Third Symphony, and questions from the audience. The composer will
be present to participate in the discussion.